Taiwan witnessed a significant increase in Chinese military activity around its territory, with multiple People’s Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft and Chinese naval vessels detected operating nearby.
Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defence (MND) said it detected 20 sorties of various types of PLA aircraft, along with six People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) vessels and five official ships.
“Overall, 20 sorties of various types of #PLA aircraft, including J-11, Su-30, H-6, Y-8 EW and KJ-500 aircraft, were detected from 0824 hours,” the MND said in a post on X.
According to the ministry, 12 of the 20 sorties crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait and entered the northern, central and southeastern sectors of Taiwan’s Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ) while conducting China’s “Joint Combat Readiness Patrol” and “Air-Sea Joint Drill”.
“The Armed Forces have monitored the situation and responded accordingly,” the ministry said.
Taiwan had earlier reported detecting five PLAN vessels and three official ships operating around the island. On another occasion, one PLA aircraft sortie, along with five PLAN vessels and three official ships, was detected operating around Taiwan up to 6 am (UTC+8).
According to data cited by Taiwan’s Coast Guard Administration (CGA), 244 Chinese vessels were detected near Taiwan’s waters in August, compared with 55 in June and 30 in May. The figure translates to an average of approximately eight Chinese vessels per day.
The unprecedented scale of the Chinese military and maritime presence in the region has become an increasing concern for Taiwanese authorities, with a CGA official describing the situation as becoming “increasingly severe”.
China claims Taiwan as part of its territory and views the self-governed island as a breakaway province that must eventually be unified with the mainland. Beijing maintains that Taiwan is an inalienable part of its territory under its “One China” principle.
